Turning Up The Heat

Hello friends! I want to apologize for my long absence. I have recently been overseas with extremely limited access to electricity and the Internet. It was a wonderful trip and I got to enjoy the bounty of the local agriculture, but more on that in my next post. For now, I hope to make it up to you with a delicious recipe.

While it was easy to forget the time of year during my stay in a cool climate area, I was reminded immediately upon my return to the southwest that it is, in fact, summertime. When I got back home, it was clear that a lot of weeds had taken advantage of my absence, and invaded my garden. I could not be too upset, however, because those weeds were greatly outshone by the abundance of heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn, and chilies that were begging for harvest.
While I was in Ireland and the UK, I ate meal after meal of hearty beef & carrot concoctions, fresh seafood, and a lot of carbs. A LOT. As in, the Scottish even serve chips (fries) with pasta dishes. Usually the spiciest thing on the table was English mustard. Don’t get me wrong, it was all delicious. But my garden was sending my little Texas heart a message:
It’s SALSA time!
I heard it loud and clear, and I bet many of you are hearing something similar from your gardens as well. So if you can’t decide what to with those extra heirlooms before they turn to mush, worry not. I’m here to share my recipe for my favorite salsa fresca. A note: I don’t usually measure, and since everyone has their own preferences anyway, I don’t think precise measurements much signify, anyway. If either you don’t have enough of something, want to change up proportions, want to add, or even omit, something entirely, don’t fret. I’m sure your salsa fresca will be delicious. Also, I generally chop everything by hand, but this can be done in the food processor if you like. It makes a tasty blended salsa as well. Just make sure that no matter what method you use, you let the onions and chilies marinate in the lime before adding everything else.

Ingredients:

Juice of 1 lime
1 smallish onion
1 or 2 hot chilies such as jalapeños, deseeded if you prefer
1 or 2 ears of corn, prepared how you like (I roast mine in the oven with the husk still on)
1 clove garlic, minced
TOMATOES!
olive oil
salt and pepper, as desired
fresh cilantro, unless you dislike it

How to:

Dice the onions and chilies first, and allow them to marinate in the lime juice while you prepare the other ingredients. Cut the corn from the cob, chop the tomatoes and, if using, chop the cilantro. Add everything to the chili and onion mixture, including the minced garlic. Drizzle with a tiny bit of oil, and season as desired (don’t forget to take into account whether you will be eating your salsa with salty tortilla chips before seasoning too heavily). Mix everything together well, and let your salsa stand at least 15 minutes before diving in. Enjoy your tasty treat with crisps, served over rice or your main dish, or eaten directly with a spoon. I have done all of these things and regret nothing.